The Crane Company Bathroom of Tomorrow (1956–1960) was a peculiar walk-through exhibit in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, sponsored by the Crane Plumbing Company. Located near the Hall of Chemistry (where Star Tours now stands), it showcased futuristic bathroom designs with a sales pitch that these innovations were “available today!” Despite its bold vision, the exhibit struggled to captivate guests and closed after four years.
Here are 10 fun facts about this quirky Tomorrowland attraction, flush with 1950s futurism and Disneyland nostalgia!
- Valve-Turning Ceremony: On April 5, 1956 (with a formal dedication on August 24), Walt Disney, Crane Co. President Frank F. Elliott, and designer Henry Dreyfuss skipped the traditional ribbon-cutting for a futuristic “valve-turning” ceremony, symbolizing the exhibit’s focus on water flow.
- Gold-Plated Glamour: The 20-foot-wide bathroom featured citrus-yellow fixtures and a gold-plated bathtub and bidet, a bold choice that screamed luxury but baffled guests used to basic plumbing. A golden bidet was especially exotic in 1950s America
- Non-Functional Display: Despite its lavish setup, the bathroom was a showpiece only—no flushing or bathing allowed! Guests could admire the fixtures but had to find a real restroom elsewhere, leaving some in a “pickle” after a Coke binge.
- Workout in the Loo: The exhibit included wall-mounted dumbbells for a quick bathroom workout, an odd nod to 1950s fitness trends. This quirky feature amused guests but felt out of place.
- Climate Control Comfort: Boasting air conditioning and an “advanced design” hot water boiler, the bathroom promised year-round comfort, letting guests “forget about the weather.” This was a big deal in the pre-AC era.
- Tear Drop Exhibit: A side display, the “Tear Drop” exhibit, dramatized the history of valves in industry, complete with water-gushing modernistic sculptures. It aimed to educate but bored kids, who begged to leave.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Like Monsanto’s House of the Future, the exhibit was a Crane sales pitch, showcasing plumbing tech guests could buy. Crane joined Tomorrowland’s corporate elite, but its focus on valves didn’t dazzle.
- Low Crowd Appeal: Next to the vibrant Hall of Chemistry, the bathroom struggled to draw families, especially kids craving rides. Media barely covered it, with only a Long Beach Independent article hyping a “Space Girl” posing by the tub.
- Fun Foto Replacement: Closing on August 31, 1960, the exhibit was replaced by a Fun Foto booth, where guests posed with old-timey backdrops—a deliberately non-futuristic shift as Tomorrowland evolved.
- Fun with Water: The exhibit’s brochure, “Fun with Water!”, featured kids turning giant pipe valves, but the only interactive part was these outdoor sculptures, leaving the indoor display static.
